{"id":560245,"date":"2020-08-04T12:40:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=560245"},"modified":"2020-08-04T12:40:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:40:31","slug":"james-mccarthy-linked-with-aston-villa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/08\/04\/james-mccarthy-linked-with-aston-villa\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: James McCarthy Linked With Aston Villa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rumours have arisen that Aston Villa<\/a><\/span> could move for Premier League midfielder James McCarthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to the Birmingham Mail<\/a>, Villa are in the process of tabling a \u00a35 million bid for the Crystal Palace<\/a> midfielder. The Irishman reportedly only has one year left on his contract, despite having only joined in 2019.<\/p>\n

Aston Villa Linked to James McCarthy<\/h2>\n

What Would McCarthy Bring to Villa?<\/h3>\n

The Republic of Ireland international would add some much-needed experience to what was a naive Villa side last term, and could be a smart bit of business for Dean Smith’s side.<\/p>\n

McCarthy represents a clear change in Villa’s transfer policy with the arrival of new Sporting Director Johan Lange<\/a>.<\/span> According to Gregg Evans<\/a>, of The Athletic<\/em>, Villa are focusing on “tried and trusted players from the English game.”<\/p>\n

During their \u00a3140 million rebuild last summer, only Tom Heaton and Matt Targett had any real Premier League experience.<\/p>\n

McCarthy fits that bill perfectly. He has played a combined 256 games for Everton<\/a>, Wigan Athletic<\/a> and now Crystal Palace, winning 85, drawing 69 and losing 102. He has played a key role in Roy Hodgson’s Palace side, featuring 33 times during the 2019\/20 season.<\/p>\n

A Solid Midfielder for the Villains<\/h3>\n

Not only has he played in over 200 Premier League games, but he also has a tackle success rating of 73% over those games and has recovered the ball 1,272 times. When out of possession he could be vital in winning possession and getting Villa back up the pitch.<\/p>\n

While there are certainly other areas Villa will need to strengthen; central midfield was an area they were overrun for much of last season, especially during John McGinn’s three-month-long lay-off. McCarthy could not only add strength to their midfield but also depth to a squad that was severely limited last term.<\/p>\n

He may also replace the struggling Marvelous Nakamba<\/a> who, according to the Birmingham Mail<\/a> and Turkish news outlet Fotomac<\/a>, has been linked with Turkish side Trabzonspor.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>